A couple of years ago, I was getting ready to make a simple apple pie. I was using Gala apple and had plenty of them. I was hungry and decided to eat an apple before I started on the recipe. The apple tasted bland, almost empy of flavor. Oh, oh, I thought, I better check another apple. The next Gala, too, was without any character. And then it dawned on me, it had been quite awhile since an apple really wowed me. And it wasn't just Galas... Golden Delicious, MacIntosh's, etc., all the apples I was buying, eating and using to cook with were low on flavor, and often, a texture disappointment.



This made me wonder. If it wasn't just one variety of apple that didn't thrill me anymore, could something be wrong with all the apples I was buying? Could it be the trees and how the apples were grown? I decided to find out. On my next shopping trip, I went to a whole foods store and bought nothing but organic apples. I had never really thought about going organic before, but I knew these apple were raised without chemicals and maybe that would make a difference.

To my surprise and delight, these organic apples were delicious. And you could really taste the difference between the various types of apples as well. I soon noticed something else - my children were eating more apple then they did before.

I had discovered a way to make my apple dishes taste better - by using organic apples.

What makes an apple organic? Organic apples are apples that are certified to be grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Non-organic apples are often sprayed with herbicides, fungicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers, up to 10 times, in a growing season. Not a very appetizing apple to feed to your kids or eat yourself. Organic apples are grown in soil that is more fertile and bio-active. And they are more nutritious - eating one organic apple is equal to eating up to 10 of today's non-organic apples!

This made me wonder. If it wasn't just one variety of apple that didn't thrill me anymore, could something be wrong with all the apples I was buying? Could it be the trees and how the apples were grown? I decided to find out. On my next shopping trip, I went to a whole foods store and bought nothing but organic apples. I had never really thought about going organic before, but I knew these apple were raised without chemicals and maybe that would make a difference.

As far as my recipes went, I didn't stop with organic apples, I soon began to tinker with other organic ingredients in my recipes. Did you know that organic cane sugar, actually has a nutritional value? It contains minerals and vitamins stripped away in refined sugar. I also discovered organic butter and milk. And began to use organic, whole flours. Yes, my cakes are a little heavier, now, but the texture and flavor is out of this world. These are the cakes and pies my ancestors conquered a continent on.

So now you know my secret method of getting the best tasting, most nutritious apple dishes - I use organic apples!